Michael O’Neill could point to individual and collective mistakes after Northern Ireland lost 4-0 to Finland in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier but the inexperience of his young squad played a major role in Helsinki.

Northern Ireland played well for much of the first half but fell behind to Joel Pohjanpalo’s penalty just before the break, and Daniel Hakans then doubled the lead three minutes into the second half before substitutes Teemu Pukki and Robin Lod added to the score late on.

Ross McCausland made his debut from the start only days after being drafted in as injury cover on Monday, and there was also a late debut for Michael Forbes with O’Neill trying to make up for the raft of missing players.

But it was a sadly familiar story as O’Neill’s men were unable to capitalise on early chances before being punished at the other end.

“We played very well for 40 minutes in the game I thought,” O’Neill said. “We had a plan to make ourselves difficult to beat and to contain Finland and we did it very well, I can’t remember them having any opportunities in that period…

“We created one or two half chances we could have done better with. Then the penalty, for all the work you do in the first 40 minutes you end up going in 1-0 down at half-time because of a penalty.”

Isaac Price clipped Nikolai Alho on the edge of the box before Pohjanpalo sent Conor Hazard the wrong way.

“Probably it’s a challenge he’s better off not attempting,” O’Neill said. “There’s not a lot of contact but there’s enough. The player wasn’t really in a position to shoot, we could possibly have been able to block the shot…

“I was really pleased with the first 40 minutes but obviously by 48 minutes you’re in a really difficult position.”

Hakans’ strike was in many ways the killer blow, coming so early in the second half. The Valerenga winger skipped through four challenges before exchanging passes with Glen Kamara, beating Hazard at his near post.

O’Neill was disappointed with his stand-in goalkeeper, but also accepted more experienced players might have stopped the run by fair means or foul much further from goal.

“It’s a shot that I would not expect to beat my goalkeeper at the near post,” O’Neill said.

“You have to recognise the danger and there’s points in the game where maybe you have to make a technical foul as they call it and we didn’t do that. I felt probably that was something that if I was to be critical of, we didn’t win enough of those types of challenges through the 90 minutes.”

When Finland then introduced Pukki off the bench, with the former Norwich striker scoring the third and creating the fourth, the game quickly went away from Northern Ireland.

“That has been the big difference, the attacking players some of the opposition have had and we saw that tonight with goals three and four,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve got a group of players where a lot of them are new to international football. This is their first campaign. They’re coming into games and the games are going away from them. As a manager I have to support them and back them.

“They have to learn on the job and they’re having to learn quickly.”

The good news is that this miserable qualifying campaign is almost over, with only Monday’s match at home to Denmark remaining.

“When you come out of a defeat you look at the game from a tactical point of view and a performance point of view but what’s most important as a staff and a coach and a group of players is that people don’t question your character or mentality,” O’Neill said.

“That’s what we have to show again on Monday night.”

Wembley celebrated the life of World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta.

Heartfelt tributes from across the footballing world poured in after Charlton’s death last month – with this the first England home game since.

The 1966 World Cup great, who scored 49 England goals in a fine career which also saw him win the European Cup with Manchester United, was remembered in a video montage introduced by Sir Geoff Hurst.

A crowd mosaic was held up during the national anthem before a moment of remembrance was held ahead of kick-off.

Both teams gathered around the centre circle as the number nine shirt so associated with Charlton was laid down before applause rang around the sold-out stadium.

The Premier League has "opened Pandora's box" after Everton were deducted 10 points for breaching financial regulations.

That is the view of John Blain, the vice-chairman of the Everton Shareholders' Association and of Toffee TV.

Everton were hit with the largest points deduction in Premier League history on Friday, after being found guilty by an independent commission of breaching the competition's Profit and Sustainability rules.

The commission found that Everton had lost £124.5million over a three-year period, which is £19.5m over the £105m threshold.

Everton's punishment comes amid the backdrop of Manchester City facing 115 charges, while Chelsea are under investigation after reports detailed a series of payments, worth tens of millions, were made during the tenure of former owner Roman Abramovich. The deduction has taken Everton from 14th to 19th in the Premier League.

The Toffees have confirmed they will appeal the decision, and Blain believes the Premier League wanted a "show trial" in a bid to put off the installation of a government-backed independent regulator.

"A fair amount of this document is like a subjective VAR decision. In every place where it can't be proven, because the onus of proof is on Everton, then it's come down as bad for Everton," Blain told Stats Perform.

"The commission says: 'We agree with the Premier League that the requirement of punishment, deterrents, a vindication of complying clubs, and the protection of the integrity of the sport demand a sporting sample'. I think it's quite hilarious that it thinks it is protecting sporting integrity by doing this to this football club at this time, and the report itself says that Everton did not breach the rules deliberately.

"Yet we have other clubs, notably Manchester City, where there's no sign of the integrity being protected by bringing them to the courtroom. I think the Premier League has opened Pandora's Box – other clubs are in the tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel, you meet one of these commissions.

"It is interesting that when Everton were referred to an independent commission, the Premier League did not have any method whatsoever for calculating what the punishment would be, yet they sought to influence the commission by creating one as recently as August.

"The commission chose to ignore that guidance, but those rules that were put in place in August, should – and I suspect they won't – apply to clubs who have made huge losses.

"They appear to have opened Pandora's Box and they can't close it now. The next league game for Everton is at Goodison Park, and is against Manchester United, and I think people around the world will see what Everton fans think of this.

"We as fans are talking about the policy and process of the Premier League that we're objecting to – a fit-for-purpose sanction would not be 10 points. This will hang over Everton for a good chunk of the season, but also those clubs that think Everton getting deducted 10 points will stop them getting relegated. Those clubs won't know how many points they'll need to be safe until the end of the appeal process. It's crazy."

While Everton feel hard done by, Blain pointed out that Farhad Moshiri's leadership has left much to be desired.

He said: "Moshiri's legacy will be one of mismanagement and not making the board more effective. He has the good fortune that a new stadium, which will be seen across Europe when the Euros are here, will probably be the legacy that he quite likes.

"But the rest of it is not going to cover him in glory at all. The sad thing is the people who are culpable, who were running the business at the time of the transgressions, most notably the former chief executive [Denise Barrett-Baxendale] and chief financial officer [Grant Ingles], chose not to submit a witness statement to this commission.

"The chief executive of the Premier League made a witness statement, and the CFO of the Premier League made a statement – there was only one side of the story; that in itself is quite damning.

"If Everton were to be relegated because of this 10-point deduction, then clearly it would be the most damning of legacies. That the complete and utter failure to run the business probably resulted in the ultimate sanction of a founding member of the Premier League falling out of it for the first time ever."

Blain does, though, feel Sean Dyche's side are well-equipped to stay up despite the sanction.

"The team, and the management on the sporting side is in a far better place than it has been in many years," he said. "We will be "safe" from relegation and probably miss it by more points than in the last few years.

"We've been to the well as Everton fans and really suffered due to the ineptness of our sporting side, but it's getting sorted out. So perversely, this points deduction is not as emotive as it might have been if the policies and procedures of the Premier League were in place and they'd been able to take the club to court quicker.

"That's the thing that might upset other clubs, who all believe they would not have been relegated had this happened sooner. We will never know, and there's a fair amount of precedent inside the document that these are just normal business hurdles that you have to overcome."

Struggling Northern Ireland found no respite in the freezing temperatures of Helsinki as they suffered a seventh defeat of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in a 4-0 loss to Finland.

Michael O’Neill’s injury-ravaged side started well but crumbled after Joel Pohjanpalo’s penalty late in the first half, with second-half goals from Daniel Hakans, Teemu Pukki and Robin Lod piling on the pain.

A crippling list of absentees provides plenty of extenuating circumstances but Northern Ireland have won only three of their last 16 games, and have only scored in three of their nine qualifiers in this campaign – two of those being victories over minnows San Marino.

A young, inexperienced side played some encouraging football in the first half but lacked the cutting edge needed to earn any rewards, and were punished by their play-off bound hosts, who ended a three-game losing streak that cost them any chance of automatic qualification.

The last time Northern Ireland were in Helsinki in October 2015 they had just booked their ticket to Euro 2016, but this time they were without 12 injured players, with O’Neill having to reach ever deeper into the nation’s limited pool of players.

Ross McCausland only made his first Rangers start at the weekend, and was only called up from the Under-21s squad on Monday after an injury to Paul Smyth, but he started ahead of Conor McMenamin to become the 32nd player used by O’Neill in this campaign.

The decision looked a good one as the Linfield academy graduate linked up well with Isaac Price and Dion Charles in some crisp early moves.

When Matti Peltola stumbled on the right McCausland pounced, running down the right and cutting the ball in for Price, but the Standard Liege man shot straight at Lukas Hradecky.

Finland had to wait until the 14th minute for a sight of goal when a half-cleared corner fell for Pohjanpalo to hit on the volley but Conor Hazard, starting in place of the injured Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the city where he spent much of 2022 on loan at HJK, was down smartly to save.

George Saville was captaining the side on the night of his 50th cap but is yet to score in Northern Ireland colours, so it was sadly little surprise to see the Millwall midfielder fire wide after a neat move involving Price, Charles, and Trai Hume.

The game changed when Finland won a penalty six minutes before half-time. Daniel Ballard blocked a shot from Fredrik Jensen but the ball came to Nikolai Alho, who was clipped by Price as he tried to charge at goal.

Pohjanpalo, who started the night with only three goals in his last 20 Finland appearances, took responsibility and sent Hazard the wrong way.

Northern Ireland needed a response but instead conceded a second just three minutes into the second half.

It was a fine goal through Finnish eyes but O’Neill will wonder how Hakans was able to skip through four challenges before exchanging passes with Glen Kamara and then beating Hazard at his near post.

There was a tantalising glimpse of goal in the 69th minute when Price sent in a low cross for substitute Conor Washington, but Miro Tenho did just enough to keep the ball out of reach, and five minutes later substitute Pukki put the game beyond doubt.

The former Norwich man played a one-two with Robert Taylor, rode a challenge from Paddy McNair, and curled a shot beyond the reach of Hazard.

Pukki turned provider in the 88th minute, playing the ball through Ballard’s legs for Lod to poke home, condemning Northern Ireland to their worst result yet in a dismal campaign.

Alan Browne has challenged the Republic of Ireland to spoil the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 party as they look to end a disappointing campaign on a high.

The curtain will fall on Ireland’s dismal attempt to make next summer’s finals at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, with automatic qualification long beyond them and only six points from home and away victories over Group B minnows Gibraltar to show for their efforts to date.

There will be little more than pride at stake for Stephen Kenny’s men on a night when victory would assure the Dutch of their ticket to Germany alongside leaders France, but Preston midfielder Browne is determined to make them sweat.

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Asked if the chance to put the champagne on ice provided added motivation, the 28-year-old said: “It’s not so much about spoiling their party, but we want to come here and win.

“The lads will be aware that we can play with a bit of freedom, it’s a bit of a free hit for us – which is obviously disappointing to say as a player, but that’s the way it is.

“We want to win the game and spoil their party to an extent, but it’s not a vendetta against them, it’s just as a professional you want to win every game that you play in, and especially at the highest level against one of the best teams in the world, you want to go out and beat them.

“It would mean an awful lot for us to get that result.”

The game seems likely to be the penultimate fixture of Kenny’s reign – his contract is due to expire after Tuesday night’s friendly against New Zealand in Dublin and the clamour for change after an overhaul which has significantly reduced the age profile of the squad, but yielded only six wins in 28 competitive outings, has grown in recent months.

However, Kenny, who will have striker Evan Ferguson at his disposal, but not the injured Chiedozie Ogbene, remained bullish as he surveyed the task ahead.

He said: “It’s a fantastic game against Holland. In the history of Irish football, all the great Irish teams of the past, some legendary players, it’s been elusive, the number of big away victories in that period.

“Obviously there have been victories in tournaments, but in terms of qualifiers, beating the major countries has proved elusive, even for the best teams.

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“For us it’s a massive challenge to play Holland on the night they can qualify in Amsterdam. It’s a huge, huge challenge and one we must embrace and be positive about.”

Browne for one has enhanced his reputation under Kenny’s watch, scoring important goals against Serbia, Belgium, Scotland and Norway, and he remains convinced that, while it may not be borne out by results, progress has been made.

He said: “I’ve seen a lot of stuff in the media, a lot of criticism, and rightly so in terms of results. It’s been a tough one.

“The group we got, we knew it was an uphill battle right from the start. The teams we got, we were really unfortunate. Any other team would be unfortunate with it as well.

“But that’s what you are up against, the best teams in the world, if you want to succeed you’ve got to beat them.

“In terms of performances, I think we have come a long way.

“Certainly since I first came in, in terms of team performances, we have definitely come a long way, we know that as players and staff. We have been in it together and just come up short in terms of results.”

The Republic of Ireland’s painful Euro 2024 campaign reaches its climax in Amsterdam on Saturday evening as they complete their Group B fixtures with a tough test against the Netherlands.

The game may represent a dead rubber for Stephen Kenny’s side, who have only wins over minnows Gibraltar home and away to show for their efforts to date, but the Dutch can clinch second place behind France, who have already qualified for the finals, with a victory.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding the game.

The last waltz?

Stephen Kenny has divided opinion during his spell in charge of the Republic.

The former Dundalk boss has drastically overhauled the squad to introduce younger players while attempting to instil a more progressive brand of football.

However, his 28 competitive games to date have yielded just six wins – five of them against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Armenia and Gibraltar home and away – and only one of note, a 3-0 Nations League victory over Scotland in June last year.

Kenny’s current contract is due to end after Tuesday’s friendly clash with New Zealand and few commentators expect it to be extended.

Jimmy, Jimmy

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If Kenny has ushered in the new during his time at the helm, there could be a touch of nostalgia in his final competitive game.

Wrexham’s James McClean announced last month that he would retire from international football at the end of the campaign and was initially included in the squad for only the New Zealand game.

However, injuries prompted Kenny to hand the 34-year-old a seat on the plane to Amsterdam, where he could win a 103rd – and penultimate – senior international cap.

Seagull or Parrott?

Much of the hope for a brighter future has been placed in the hands of 19-year-old Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, whose goal in last month’s 4-0 victory over Gibraltar was his third in eight senior appearances for his country.

However, the teenager has been nursing a back injury in the run-up to the game and with Luton’s Chiedozie Ogbene out with an ankle problem, Tottenham’s Troy Parrott could find himself in contention.

Now 21 and playing his club football in the Netherlands on loan at Excelsior, Parrott has three Eredivisie goals to his name in eight outings so far this season and was used as a substitute in the June fixtures against Greece and Gibraltar following his return to the squad.

Dutch courage

The Republic’s hopes of making it to Germany next summer were all but extinguished by a 2-1 home defeat by the Netherlands in September, when Cody Gakpo’s penalty and substitute Wout Weghorst’s second-half strike cancelled out Adam Idah’s early spot-kick.

But those with longer memories may take inspiration from a famous World Cup qualifier victory over the Dutch in September 2001 when Jason McAteer secured a 1-0 win at Lansdowne Road over a side which included Edwin van der Sar, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert and substitutes Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Pierre van Hooijdonk despite Gary Kelly’s dismissal.

Koeman’s back ache

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has a rich array of talent from which to select, but his defensive options have been severely depleted by injuries.

Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geetruida is the latest man to join a casualty list which already included Jeremie Frimpong, Matthijs de Ligt, Nathan Ake, Micky van de Ven and Sven Botman, and while PSV Eindhoven’s Jordan Teze has been drafted in to replace Frimpong, the manager has not called on further back-up.

Julian Nagelsmann feels Germany’s rebuild ahead of hosting Euro 2024 cannot just be done from the back.

Germany face Turkey in a friendly on Saturday night in Berlin at the Olympiastadion, where the final of next summer’s showpiece tournament will be played.

Former boss Hansi Flick was sacked after an early exit at the World Cup was followed by a five-game winless run which ended with a 4-1 defeat by Japan in Wolfsburg.

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Nagelsmann took over Die Mannschaft ahead of the tour to the United States during October, with his side going on to beat the hosts 3-1 and draw 2-2 with Mexico.

The former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich head coach accepts tightening up in defence will be key to hopes of making an impact on home soil next summer –  but stressed it must not be his squad’s only focus.

“We want to have good (defensive) stability. There are moments when we want to give up less space to the opponents. We want to defend highly, but also give less space for balls behind our line,” Nagelsmann said.

“With a view to the Euros, a good defence is important, but we will not seek our salvation only on the defensive.

“We want to become even more dominant in the game to reduce the time we have to defend.”

Nagelsmann confirmed goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be returning to Barcelona as he deals with “acute back pain”, so will also not be available for next week’s trip to Austria.

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Manuel Neuer is working his way back to full fitness with Bayern following almost a year in recovery after breaking his leg while skiing.

Nagelsmann feels the 37-year-old should be allowed all the time he needs to get fully match fit and not face any extra pressure of a swift recall back to the national team.

“Anyone who listened to the reasons explaining the decision (not to call him up) can answer the question itself, why it has made sense not to nominate him (for the current squad),” Nagelsmann told a press conference.

“There are reasons that he has stayed at home and that is why a call-up now makes no sense.

“Manu has played a top role since his return and he should be allowed to continue.

“Afterwards, then at the Euros, the players who perform will play.”

Mats Hummels, a World Cup winner in 2014, should be involved after the Borussia Dortmund defender returned to training following his own back issue.

Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan is set to face his parent’s home nation for the first time.

The Gelsenkirchen-born Barcelona midfielder said: “It will be a very special game for me, no question about it.

“My grandparents, parents and other relatives still live in Turkey in Izmir, and of course I also have many friends there.

“I am really looking forward to it and I hope for a great football festival.”

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Turkey have already qualified for next summer’s finals, sitting top of Group D and will head to Wales next week for their last fixture.

New head coach Vincenzo Montella will be without captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who is recovering from a respiratory infection while his wife is also about to give birth to their child.

Fenerbahce winger Cengiz Under is another who did not travel to Germany as he continues to manage various fitness issues.

Jude Bellingham has been awarded the 2023 Golden Boy award for the best player in Europe aged under 21.

The prize was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport 20 years ago and is voted for by 50 sports journalists across the continent.

In a video message on tuttosport.com, England star Bellingham said: “I just wanted to thank everyone who voted for me for the 2023 Golden Boy. I really appreciate it.

“I’d like to thank everyone that’s been part of my journey so far at Birmingham, Dortmund and now Madrid. It wouldn’t be possible without them. There’s so many, I’d be here for hours naming them all.

“Lastly and most importantly my family, who give me the support and the motivation and the love every day to keep striving.

“Now that I’ve got this beautiful award, I want to keep going and keep pushing the limits of my potential and hopefully many more trophies to come.”

Bellingham has made a huge impact since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in the summer, scoring 13 goals in 14 matches, including both in a 2-1 victory over Barcelona last month.

The 20-year-old was awarded the Kopa Trophy last month for the best young player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

He is the third English player to win the Golden Boy after Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Raheem Sterling in 2014. The award will be presented at a gala in Turin on December 4.

Everton have been hit with an unprecedented 10-point penalty after being found to have “taken chances” with the Premier League’s financial rules.

An independent commission found the club’s desire to improve their on-pitch performance had resulted in them acting “irresponsibly” and exceeding permitted losses under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

The points deduction drops Everton to 19th in the table and leaves major question marks over whether a sale of the club by current owner Farhad Moshiri to an American investment firm, 777 Partners, will proceed.

The club immediately indicated their intention to appeal against the sanction. It is understood the appeal will be heard during the course of the current season.

Everton could also now face compensation claims against them over the case.

The Premier League published a commission judgement from May which granted five clubs – Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Leicester and Burnley – 28 days from Friday to inform the commission of their intention to pursue a compensation claim.

None of those clubs have so far commented on this matter.

The Premier League’s PSR permit losses of £105million over a three-year period. Everton’s losses up to 2021-22 were found to be £124.5million, exceeding the limit by £19.5million even accounting for allowances made for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The club put forward various items they felt should be excluded from the PSR calculation, including interest costs related to the construction of their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, the portion of the club’s transfer levy related to youth development and the £10m lost on the club’s decision not to seek damages against a player whose contract was terminated in 2021.

Everton also argued that a depressed summer transfer market in 2020 owing to Covid-19 reduced the revenue they would have earned from player sales. They also said they had lost out on a £200m stadium naming rights deal with USM as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed by the British Government. USM is a conglomerate whose single largest stakeholder is Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

However, the commission concluded: “The cause of Everton’s PSR difficulties was the fact that it overspent (largely on its purchase of new players and its inability to sell other players), and because it finished lower in the league than it had projected in FY 2022 (16th against the projected 6th – causing a loss of expected income of c.£21 million).

“Everton’s understandable desire to improve its on-pitch performance (to replace the non-existent midfield, as Mr Moshiri put it in evidence) led it to take chances with its PSR position: those chances resulted in it exceeding the £105 million threshold by £19.5 million.

“The position that Everton finds itself in is of its own making – it is Everton’s responsibility to ensure that it complies with the PSR regime. The excess over the threshold is significant. The consequence is that Everton’s culpability is great.

“We take into account the fact that Everton’s PSR trend over the relevant four years is positive, but cannot ignore the fact that the failure to comply with the PSR regime was the result of Everton irresponsibly taking a chance that things would turn out positively.

“Further, Everton was less than frank in its dealings with the Premier League over the stadium interest issue.

“The reality is that Everton failed to manage its finances so as to operate within the generous threshold of £105m. Its mismanagement led to that threshold being exceeded by £19.5million.

“This was a serious breach that requires a significant penalty.”

The commission concluded that a sporting sanction was the only option for a club owned by a billionaire like Moshiri.

“A financial penalty for a club that enjoys the support of a wealthy owner is not a sufficient penalty,” the commission’s written reasons stated.

“We agree with the Premier League that the requirements of punishment, deterrence, vindication of compliant clubs, and the protection of the integrity of the sport demand a sporting sanction in the form of a points deduction. The issue is not the form of sanction, but its extent.”

The written reasons show Everton’s position was that any sanction imposed by the commission should be financial rather than sporting in nature, but said if it had to be a sporting sanction then a transfer ban would be more appropriate than a points deduction.

The club said in a statement: “Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s commission.

“The club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction.

“The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League. The appeal process will now commence and the club’s case will be heard by an Appeal Board appointed pursuant to the Premier League’s rules in due course.

“Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process.

“The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings.

“Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.

“The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.”

Portsmouth and Middlesbrough are the only other clubs to have been docked points in Premier League history. Pompey were hit with a 10-point sanction in March 2010 after entering administration while Boro’s three-point penalty in January 1997 related to a short-notice match postponement the previous month. Both clubs were relegated at the end of the season.

Rob Page hopes the presence of Aaron Ramsey can help Wales realise their Euro 2024 dream after the injured captain joined them on their long trek to Armenia.

Midfielder Ramsey has not played since mid-September after damaging a knee tendon, missing last month’s stunning victory over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia that has left automatic qualification in Wales’ own hands entering the final two games.

The 32-year-old, however, has taken the unusual step of an injured player being present for Wales’ 4,600-round mile trip to Yerevan, one of European football’s most remote outposts.

“Rambo’s travelled with the lads, which is brilliant,” Page said ahead of Saturday’s penultimate qualifier at the Republican Stadium, scene of their only previous visit to this corner of Eastern Europe in 2001 – a game the manager played in.

“It’s the presence around the changing room. I used to say it with Gareth Bale. Aaron falls into the same category for me.

“The wealth of experience he’s got. Just being around young JJ (Jordan James), who can pick his brains on just about anything. He’s the captain and he’s been wanting to travel. He’s been with the group all week.

“He’s done his little bits of work that he’s needed to for Cardiff. He’s got a plan and gone off and done his own bits.

“We’ve had to find a training ground for him, but he wants to be around the boys and I think that speaks volumes about what we’ve got as a group.”

Wales know two closing victories – already-qualified Turkey are the visitors to Cardiff on Tuesday – will see them secure qualification for a fourth tournament out of five.

Dropped points will need them relying on favourable results elsewhere and the prospect of avoiding the play-offs in March where the likes of Norway, Poland and Ukraine could be lurking.

“The camp has been great all week. The positivity has been incredible,” said Page, who has a difficult selection call to make with Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson available after missing the Croatia win through injury.

“There’s enough experience in that changing room of big games, when you need big players to step up for big games – and this is a big game for us.

“Our full focus is on this game. We’re not even talking about Tuesday’s game. We’ve got enough experience to cope with this.

“We haven’t got anything where you need that siege mentality (like Wales did in October) but we’re coming off the back of one of the best performances we’ve ever had, certainly of my tenure.

“We can’t be complacent, we need consistency when it comes to that level of performance. If we do that the result will look after itself.”

Ben Davies, as he did against Croatia, will lead Wales in the absence of Ramsey and playing at Euro 2024 would represent the Tottenham defender’s fourth major tournament – three European Championships and the 2022 World Cup.

Davies said: “This is the dream for us and it doesn’t matter if you’ve done it once or three or four times.

“We’re confident as a group that on the day we can beat anybody. We’ve done that in the last two and we want to show that again.

“We’re a good group, a tight-knit group, and it’s nice to see the same faces every time you come.

“You end up playing as a family and I think that where our success has been gained, being a band of brothers out there.”

A football fan who mocked mascot Bradley Lowery during a match against the youngster’s favourite team has been spared immediate jail by a judge who said his actions were “utterly appalling” and “disgraceful”.

Sheffield Wednesday fan Dale Houghton, 32, taunted Sunderland fans with a picture of Bradley, who died in 2017, on his phone during a match at Hillsborough Stadium on September.

Houghton, from Rotherham, admitted a public order offence at a previous hearing and on Friday he was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work by District Judge Marcus Waite.

Mr Waite said: “You showed callous disrespect to a brave young man who was righty held in the highest esteem by football fans everywhere.”

Scotland drew 2-2 with Georgia in Tbilisi in the penultimate match of their successful European Championship qualifying campaign.

Scott McTominay and substitute Lawrence Shankland both hit equalisers after Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck twice for the hosts.

Here are five things we learned from the encounter in the Boris Paichadze Stadium ahead of Scotland’s final Group A game against Norway on Sunday.

Substitutes are key again

Kenny McLean scored a late winner off the bench in Oslo in June and the substitute made a more sustained if less spectacular impact on Thursday night. The Norwich midfielder set up McTominay to level and generally helped improve Scotland’s possession after a slack first half with fellow half-time replacement Lewis Ferguson also contributing. Shankland then headed home in stoppage time from fellow sub Stuart Armstrong’s cross with Anthony Ralston also showing up well in a brief cameo. Manager Steve Clarke has not always been quick to make changes but it appears that the bench is becoming more and more important to Scotland in the five-subs era.

Shankland stakes his claim

The Hearts striker dropped out of the squad last month but earned a late call-up on the back of five goals in his last five club games when Che Adams pulled out. The 28-year-old seized his chance when he rose well to head home. “We needed a goal and you know Lawrence has always got a chance of getting a goal,” said Clarke as he explained why he had used him. Scotland will undoubtedly need a goal at some stage in Germany next summer and an in-form Shankland is arguably the most natural goalscorer Scotland have.

Pot two still in reach

Spain’s late goal in Seville last month wiped out Scotland’s head-to-head advantage and any realistic chance of Clarke’s side topping the group. Scotland would need to beat Norway on Sunday while Georgia win in Spain for that to happen. There is a better chance of Scotland finishing as the best runners-up and sealing a place in pot two for next month’s draw. That looks likely to be Austria, assuming Belgium beat Azerbaijan, but a two-goal win or a high-scoring one-goal victory could put the Scots among the second seeds. However, that could theoretically hand Scotland a tougher draw given the likes of Netherlands, Denmark, Italy or Ukraine are headed for pot three.

Zander Clark shows his mettle

The Hearts goalkeeper was beaten at his near post for Kvaratskhelia’s opener but there were bigger factors in the lead-up to the goal which left the former St Johnstone man exposed on his competitive debut. Clark went on to make three assured saves including one in the dying seconds.

Back four experiment has mixed success

With Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey joining long-term absentee Grant Hanley on the sidelines in recent weeks, Clarke went with a back four featuring Nathan Patterson, Ryan Porteous, Scott McKenna and Greg Taylor. Scotland seemed more open as a result, especially in the first half, although they dominated the final half hour. Tierney’s return to fitness looks key to Scotland’s Euro 2024 prospects given his influence in the back three.

Zander Clark has got the taste for more Scotland caps after making his competitive debut in the 2-2 draw in Georgia.

With Angus Gunn injured, the Hearts goalkeeper got the nod for his first Scotland start ahead of Motherwell’s Liam Kelly.

Clark bounced back from the loss of an early goal to make several assured stops including one in the dying seconds following Tynecastle team-mate Lawrence Shankland’s stoppage-time equaliser.

The recognition has been a long time coming for the former St Johnstone player, who was tipped for a call-up long before he first broke into Steve Clarke’s squad in August 2021.

“I am immensely proud,” the 31-year-old said. “I was proud when I got the 45 minutes in France but to get the first competitive one means an awful lot.

“Representing your country is something you dream of as a kid and thankfully I have been able to do it.

“Hopefully I have done enough and I can try and get many more but I know it’s going to be a tough ask. But I am just delighted to eventually get to taste it and it’s something I want more of.

“On a personal level, delighted, as a collective there is obviously a bit of disappointment not to take three points from the game. But we said after it, when you can’t win the game, you just need to make sure you don’t lose it.”

Clark admitted he had to focus on the game rather than his own excitement after hearing he was in the team ahead of Kelly and Robby McCrorie.

“It was just in the pre-match meeting, the manager named the team,” he said.

“The three of us have worked this week in the build-up to it, so it was going to be a tough decision, I was just thankful I managed to get the nod.

“I was obviously delighted but you just need to put it to the back of your mind and concentrate on the game, which I thought I did.

“It’s a proud moment to see your name in the starting line-up but you quickly forget about that and it’s mind on the business.”

Clark showed strong hands to parry several efforts as Georgia displayed how they qualified for the Euro 2024 play-offs with an unbeaten Nations League record.

“As a goalkeeper you want to make saves that can help the team get a result,” he said. “I felt I had a couple of decent ones.

“Obviously you want to prevent the goals but credit to the boys, they made it stuffy for us, pegged us back twice and came back and got the draw in the end.”

The manager gave little away on his plans for the position earlier this week after allowing Clark and Kelly to share duties in France last month.

And the Hearts player is keen to continue in goal for Sunday’s final Group A game against Norway as the Tartan Army finally get the chance to celebrate qualification en masse.

“It will be a great game,” he said. More positive going into it on the back of not losing. Back in front of the crowd at Hampden will be joyous, I would imagine.

“We know it will be a tough game but if we play the way the manager and coaching staff want us to play, we have a right good chance of picking up three points.”

Everton have been deducted 10 points with immediate affect after being found to have breached Premier League financial rules.

The Toffees have confirmed their intention to appeal against the sanction, which relates to the period ending in the 2021-22 season.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at the two other Premier League clubs to be handed a points deduction.

Portsmouth (March 2010)

Portsmouth were deducted nine points in 2010 after the south-coast club went into administration.
The sanction all but rubber-stamped Pompey’s relegation, as they were left 17 points from safety with nine league games remaining.
Despite the off-field issues, with the club reportedly having debts of £65million, Avram Grant took Portsmouth to the FA Cup final that season, where they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea before facing up to life in the Championship.

Middlesbrough (January 1997)

Middlesbrough were given a three-point deduction after postponing a Premier League match at short notice for not having enough fit players to put out a team.
Ahead of the game against Blackburn at Ewood Park, scheduled for Saturday, December 21 1996, Bryan Robson’s already injury-hit squad was further depleted by a virus.
On the Friday morning, Boro were left with only 17 players available – three of them being goalkeepers while five were without a first-team appearance for the club, and so informed the Premier League they would have to call off the game.
Boro were eventually ordered to appear before a Premier League commission, which ruled a three-point deduction would be imposed and the Blackburn match to be replayed.
Robson’s side went on to reach the finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup, losing both, but were relegated from the Premier League by two points.

Everton have been deducted 10 points by an independent commission after being found to have breached Premier League financial rules.

The league referred Everton to the commission in March for an alleged breach of its profitability and sustainability rules in the period ending in the 2021-22 season.

The rules allow clubs to lose a maximum £105million over a three-year period or face sanctions.

Everton issued a statement confirming their intention to appeal against the sanction.

The Premier League said in a statement published on its official website: “During the proceedings, the club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending Season 2021/22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute.

“Following a five-day hearing last month, the Commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR Calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105million permitted under the PSRs.

“The Commission concluded that a sporting sanction in the form of a 10-point deduction should be imposed. That sanction has immediate effect.”